The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-10
MILK TRAINS.
HOW A PART OF NEW YORKS
MILK SUPPLY is RECEIVED.
Arrival of Trains in the Morning
at the Erie Depot - A Rusb
When They Come In
Milk Spectators.

If any evening at o'clock you cross
the noble North River from Chambers
street to the Erie Depot and walk up the
south side of the big building, your atten-
ton will he directed to long narrow
platform with little groups of milk cans
huddled clumsily together on it. There
is nearly quarter OF mile of platform,
and it looks for a time so lonesome that
you will wonder why so much of it is
needed. An hour and half later you
will discover that the platform is none too
large. Wagons loaded down with rattling
milk cans appear to have sprung out OF
the ground, drivers are shouting at their
horses, and everybody is doing his level
best to surpass his neighbor in making
noise.
At the east end of the long platform is
little coffee and cake restaurant, and
some milkmen, who are awaiting the
arrival of the two long milk trains that
come in at the platform every night,
are taking luncheon in the little place.
Butter cakes, baked on a griddle, seem
to he the favorite article of diet among
them. You can get bread and milk there,
but the waiter will tell you that few milk
dealers eat it.
"You see they are handling milk all the
while" he says, land they get sick of the
smell of it. There is a man in charge Of
each car of the milk train, but have seen
one walk through whole line of cars to
get drink of water out of the engine
tank sooner than take drink of milk:
There is one old bay mare, however, which
pulls milk wagon between here and
Brooklyn that will drink all the milk you
can give her. But when you talk about
drinking milk, come here and I'll show
you something"
The young man led the way out to the
rear of the long platform. Scores of cats,
Of all colors and degrees Of fatncss, were
standing about the track awaiting the
coming of the milk cars. Their eyes shown
green and red with the light reflected
fromneighboring windows.
Suddenly long train of fifteen white
milk cars stole up to the platform so
qnietly that the CATS were takcn5y SUR
prise. 1t was the train from the Orange
county district, and it hid been hur-
rying toward Jersey City at twenty
miles an hour in order that New York
ers and their neighbors might have
fresh milk.
The patient COWS had been reused up
at four o'clock in the morning in order
to be milked, and are called up again
at five in the afternoon. Each of the
cars contained $50 cans and each can
had ten gallons in it.
Right upon ihe heels of this train came
another and a longer one. The two trains
were loaded with an aggregate of ST.
600 gallons of milk.
Such rush and racket as followed the
arrival of the last train was enough to
drive everyone except the milkmen crazy,
and the cats sneaked away to safe dis
tance. Men with white tickets in their
hands rushed about looking for their milk
cans The tickets represented the pay
ment of thirty-fve cents freight on each,
and milk agent Fredericks and his clerk
had been making them out in their car
attached to the milk train as it came
down. One man had big bundle of
tickets. He was one of the large num-
Der of expressmen who stay up all night,
get the milk for the retailer while the lat
ter is asleep, deliver it at his door and
are paid fifteen cents a can for his
trouble.
Congrcgated near the end of the little
cake and coffee place was crowd of
rather eager looking men. They were
spectators who were on hand to buy odd
cans of milk consigned to no one in par
ticular.
1t was cool night and the price had
declined to 81 a can. The spectators
have wide range as to price, and hot
day will sometimes send the figures up so
cents can.
From II o'clock until midnight the
Brooklyn milkmen and exprcssmen had
their innings. They had further to go
and are always the first to arrive
Then came the New York dealers, and
they were followed by the Jersey City
men. Teams were coming and going all
night, and it was o'clock this morning
before the last of the 1000 gallons of
milk that came in last night on the Erie
road had been cartcd away from the most
extensive milk depot in this country
NeW York Sun.